St Jo's ready for rugby festival
THERE is five weeks to go now for the 16 teams who will be playing at the St Joseph's College national schoolboys rugby festival. Taking place over two days Saturday and Sunday, October 20, 21, this year's festival promises to surpass last year when The Times wrote about "a tournament that has gathered increasing prestige since its inception 14 years ago.
THERE is five weeks to go now for the 16 teams who will be playing at the St Joseph's College national schoolboys rugby festival.
Taking place over two days Saturday and Sunday, October 20, 21, this year's festival promises to surpass last year when The Times wrote about "a tournament that has gathered increasing prestige since its inception 14 years ago."
The teams attending this year include last year's winners Blackrock College of Dublin along with 13 previous competitors. New visitors are Ivybridge College of Devon and St Edwards School of Oxford.
Organised by St Joseph's College, Ipswich and sponsored, over the last two years by BT at Adastral Park the festival continues to go from strength to strength. Amongst the rugby world, the festival is seen as the premier 15-a-side rugby festival in the UK attracting numerous requests for places in the final 16 line up.
Notable attendees are leading independent schools, Millfield School from Somerset, winners of the festival in 1990 and 1993 recently back from a summer tour of Australia. In addtion to Millfield and Colston's Collegiate of Bristol who have also had considerable success at St Jo's with three previous wins.
Tony Talbot, master in charge of rugby at St Jo's, is delighted to see Colston's back once again this year, especially following their decision to no longer play in the Daily Mail Cup – widely seen as the largest knock-out cup in the world.
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Keen followers of the sport can enjoy watching rugby being played at the highest level, with scouts and international coaches arriving from throughout the UK to look for future international players.
The festival will begin at 9am on both the Saturday and Sunday with supporters welcome.
The full line-up is: Sedbergh (Cumbria), Queen (Wakefield), Royal (Buckingham), Colstons (Bristol), Campion (Hornchurch), Bradford (Yorkshire), Millfield (Somerset), Pangbourne (Reading), Abingdon (Oxfordshire), Brighton (Sussex), Blackrock (Co Dublin), St Peter's (Gloucester), Monmouth (Gwent), Ivybridge (Devon), St Edwards (Oxford), St Jospeh's (Ipswich).
